This invention relates to a laminated web used for making signs having characters, symbols and the like adhesively attached to a supporting surface, and deals more particularly with such a web simplifying the transfer of characters and other shapes cut from one layer of the web to the supporting surface and well adapted for use with an automatic sign machine such as shown by U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,525.
In the past it has been known, as disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,525, when working with an automatic sign generating machine to use an essentially two-ply laminated web consisting of a base layer or carrier sheet holding a superimposed layer of sign making material, such as colored polyvinylchloride, with the two layers being separated by a thin layer of permanently tacky or pressure-sensitive adhesive relatively strongly adhered to the rear face of the sign material and relative weakly adhered to the adjacent face of the carrier sheet by virtue of that being coated with a film of silicone material or similar release agent. The front face of the layer of sign making material generally has a shiny or glossy appearance as compared to the rear face, since the front face is the face seen in the finished sign. In the use of the prior art web the automatic sign generating machine cuts through the layer of sign making material and only slightly, if at all, into the base layer as the knife is moved in the plane of the web to trace and therefore cut one or more closed shape characters, symbols or the like on and from the layer of sign material. After this cutting is completed the closed shape or shapes cut in the sign material are applied to a supporting surface to form a finished sign. The exact routine followed in advancing from the cut web to the finished sign may vary, but all known routines are fairly time consuming.
For example, in one common procedure after the web is cut the next step is to peel or "weed" the surrounding sign material away from the cut closed shapes leaving only the cut shapes behind on the involved portion of the base layer. That is, after the weeding the cut shapes stand by themselves on the associated area of the base layer and are held to the base layer by the intervening adhesive. Then a pressure-sensitive adhesive faced piece of auxiliary sheet is placed over the cut shape or shapes, adhesive side facing the cut shape or shapes, and pressed against the shapes to adhere the shapes to the auxiliary sheet. The adhesive for the auxiliary sheet is chosen so that the bond of the auxiliary sheet to the cut shape or shapes will be greater than the bond of the auxiliary shapes to the base layer. The auxiliary sheet is then lifted from the base layer and, because of the differential bonding mentioned, the shape or shapes (including the adhesive on their rear faces) during such lifting will move with the auxiliary sheet and release from the base layer. The auxiliary sheet is then placed over the supporting surface with the shape or shapes carried by it facing the surface, and the sheet is then pressed against the supporting surface to securely adhere the shape or shapes to the surface by means of the adhesive carried by its or their rear face or faces. The auxiliary sheet is then peeled from the supporting surface leaving the shape or shapes behind on the supporting surface, adhered to it by the adhesive carried by its or their rear face or faces. At this point it should be noted that the adhesive of the auxiliary sheet is further so selected that its strength of bonding to the shape or shapes is less than the strength of bonding of the shape or shapes to the supporting surface so that in the last peeling step the desired result of leaving the shape or shapes behind on the supporting surface is achieved.
One disadvantage associated with the prior art web described above is that the front face of the layer of sign material, which is the face seen in the finished sign, is exposed from the time of making the web to the time of its final use. As a result, it sometimes becomes embossed or scratched during the rolling of the web into rolls, the transport of the rolls, the unwinding of the web from the rolls, the cutting of the web by the sign making machine, and other handling procedures.
Another disadvantage of the above-described prior art web is that the adhesive layer between the base layer and the layer of sign material is relatively thick and tacky, and is strongly adhered to the sign material for adhesively attaching the cut sign shapes to a supporting surface. This layer of tacky adhesive has proven to be a nuisance both when cutting the sign material and when "weeding" the surrounding sign material from the cut sign shapes.
An object of the invention therefore is to provide a web of laminated material and a method for using the same whereby the procedure required for going from the cut web to a finished sign is greatly simplified in comparison to the prior art procedure described above, the procedure in particular not requiring the use of an auxiliary sheet for transferring cut characters or the like from the web to the supporting surface.
Another object is to provide a web of laminated material of the foregoing general character wherein the danger of marring the "good" face of the layer of sign material due to handling of the web between the time of its manufacture and the time of completing a sign is substantially reduced.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be obvious from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention.